Build Your Comedy Empire

More good digital news for comedians. For just $5, this just-launched service offers comedy-lovers the opportunity to enjoy digital downloads or 48-hour streaming sessions of comedy specials straight from the site–immediately and forever, like losing your virginity. The advantage? According to the FAQ, “for one simple transaction here, you can own it karma-free, legally, directly from us, the creators.” Take that, snoopy feds and hackers.

As Louis C.K. demonstrated with his hugely successful experiment distributing his own special online without the use of a middleman, both laugh-provider and laugh-enjoyer benefit from this arrangement through vastly reduced costs, easy availability, and the serenity of not feeling ripped off by soulless corporate leeches. Since then, Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari have followed suit with satisfying results. LOLflix takes the concept even further by providing a central location for a number of comedians to distribute their work, and for fans to purchase as many performances as they like from one source, conveniently and at very low cost through PayPal or Amazon. Comedians realize at least a 50-percent share of the revenue from the sales of their performance recordings.

The site currently hosts more than 30 Showtime-premiered comedy specials in full HD that are exclusive to LOLflix, including shows by Bill Santiago, Russell Peters, and Rita Rudner. Every performance is uncut and uncensored.

For lesser-known comics, LOLflix expects to become a venue to build their audiences and name recognition. In fact, reports LaughSpin, Scott Montoya, the veteran comedy producer behind the site, is working with comedians to produce and distribute their original specials in addition to the Showtime ones already offered.

Keep your eye on LOLflix. It may well become the most effective way for stand-up comedians to ensure their material reaches the widest audience possible.